1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns rubber jetter cups used for washing milking equipment. More particularly, it is concerned with a jetter cup which facilitates insertion and removal of the teat cups received therein so as to ensure proper seating and, as a result, more effective and complete cleaning.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatic milking equipment is used in most commercial dairy farms to milk cows, goats or other dairy animals. Such milking equipment typically includes a plurality of teat cups connected to a milking claw. The teat cups typically include a rubber liner received within a shell, and by the application of alternating vacuum and atmospheric pressure between the liner and the shell, the teat is massaged by the walls of the liner to facilitate milking of the teats of the udder. Continuous vacuum is applied to the interior of the rubber liner which moves the milk from the teats into the liner, then to the claw and to a milk collection receptacle. It is important to clean the liners for purposes of sanitation and to prevent infection of the animals of the herd. In most commercial dairy farms, the number of teat cups and liners necessitates the use of automatic cleaning equipment which employs clean in place (CIP) solutions to wash the rubber liners.
While teat cup liners are of various configurations, they commonly include an enlarged mouthpiece extending around the top of the shell, a liner barrel within the shell, and a short milk tube which extends from the bottom of the shell and connects to the claw. The mouthpiece is cleaned by insertion into a jetter cup, which introduces CIP and rinsing solution into the liner and preferably cleans the outside of the mouthpiece which may have raw milk or debris thereon.
Jetter cups of synthetic rubber are well known in the dairy art and are connected to a source of CIP solution. An opening is provided in an annular lip for the receipt of the mouthpiece of the liner. However, existing jetter cups require careful attention in order to ensure proper use. When the dairyman is busy or inattentive, then the liner is not properly installed, with the lip of the jetter cup curling over the sidewall of the liner. Unless the dairyman fully seats the mouthpiece by both pushing and twisting during insertion, the skirt and bottom edge of the mouthpiece is masked from cleaning and retains microorganisms in the debris such as feces or raw milk collected thereon. In effect, mismounting of the mouthpiece within the jetter cup creates a lagoon for the microorganisms free from washing along the sidewall of the mouthpiece.
Unfortunately, the present condition exists as much as 80% of the time in everyday dairying operations. Existing jetter cups not only require care to ensure proper seating, but are sensitive to changes in the size of the liners. Liners and shells may be provided in different sizes to meet the particular breed of the herd, the desires of the dairyman, or the differences in liners among different suppliers. There has thus developed a need for a jetter cup which is designed to facilitate proper seating, provide better circulation of the CIP fluid when proper seating has occurred, and to properly seat and seal a greater variety of teat cup liners currently on the marketplace.
These objects have largely been met by the jetter cup of the present invention. That is to say, the present invention provides for positive installation and seating during loading and facilitates unloading of the liner from the jetter cup, provides improved circulation of the CIP liquid around the mouthpiece, avoids caving of the sidewall of the jetter cup, improved sealing of the jetter cup around the shell, and better accommodation of different sizes of teat cup liners. As a result, the jetter cup of the present invention readily accepts the mouthpiece of the liner therein and avoids the need to twist or pull the liner in the jetter cup to ensure proper seating. The annular lip of the jetter cup readily yields during loading and then returns to its initial position while providing improved rigidity of the sidewall of the jetter cup.
These features are accomplished by the provision of various improvements including ramping bosses on the exterior of the annular lip which guide and facilitate loading of the liner, the increased sloping of the bottom wall, the provision of an annular groove at the inner margin of the interior of the annular lip, and the provision of ribs which extend along the interior of the sidewall. The ramping bosses are circumferentially spaced about the lip and slope toward the central opening to reduce frictional contact between the rubber mouthpiece and the annular lip of the jetter cup and gradually lead the mouthpiece into the central opening and interior cavity of the jetter cup. The ramping bosses further cooperate with the lips which taper toward the central opening to facilitate insertion of the mouthpiece while maintaining sealing against the shell. The annular groove or undercut along the inner margin of the interior of the annular lip allows the lip to fully deflect as the mouthpiece is inserted and then return to the desired sealing position. This annular groove avoids the interference which commonly prevents proper seating and return of the lip to its extended, sealing position. The circumferentially spaced ribs along the interior of the sidewall of the jetter cup not only supports the sidewall and inhibits caving of the sidewall during loading, but also enhances the circulation of the CIP solution within the cavity so that the outer surface of the mouthpiece including its skirt is spaced inwardly from the sidewall of the jetter cup. This facilitates circulation of the CIP solution and rinsewater all around the mouthpiece of the liner including its marginal shoulder and skirt.
As a result, the jetter cup of the present invention avoids the necessity of twisting and pulling during insertion of the teatcup liner mouthpiece into the jetter cup to obtain proper seating, and positive and proper insertion is accomplished by simple axial movement of the liner mouthpiece through the central opening and into the cavity of the jetter cup. This and other advantages of the jetter cup hereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follows.